Printing animal fibers



Patented Aug. 16, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT oFF cE PRINTING ANIMAL mansMax Kerth, Bad Soden in Taunus, Germany, as-

signor to General Aniline Works, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation ofDelaware No Drawing. Application February 8, 1937; Se-

- amine-bases of the aliphatic series and to a process of printingvat-dyestuffs on animal fibers an textiles containing animal fibers,

In the printing of vat-dyestuffs on animal fibers, especially on wool,various processes are known for preventing deleterious effects of thealkali,-for instance of the most frequently used alkali carbonate. InGerman Patent No. 391,995

there are, used, for instance, ammonia, ammonium carbonate or ammoniumbicarbonate or mixtures thereof instead of alkali carbonate or alkalihydroxide, Most of the vat-dyestuffs, however, when printed according tothismethod of .workiug, as well as other methods using alkali salts ofacids which are more feeble than carbonic acid, such as phosphates,phenolates and the like, yield prints of less intensity; only somevat-dyestuffs which may easily be reduced, such as thioindigo, may beapplied. In another process, described in U. S. Patent No. 1,990,852,amino-acetic acid is added as protective agent for the fiber 'to theprinting colors which, as usual, contain an alkali carbonate; theprocess permits the use of the wool-dyeing vat-dyestufisin printing, forthe most part with good result, but it has been found that, in spite ofthis protective agent for the fiber, detrimental eifects of the alkalicarbonate are not always excludedso that sometimes the feel, the weaveor interlacing of-the fabric and the elasticity of the fiber are notsuffiiciently' protected and preserved; thus the weave may be impairedby shrinkage or felting of the threads. .-i

lihave found that the deleterious influence of the. usual alkalies onwoolen fibers is minimized or entirely avoidedby whollyv orsubstantially replacing the aforesaid alkalies either by aminebases ofthe aliphatic series which contain at least two bas'c nitrogen atoms.Such aminebases are, for instance, ethylenediamine,polyethylenediamines, hydroxy-ethyl-polyethylenedi amines,triethylenetetramine, hydroxy-ethyl-hexamethylenetetramine. There mayalso be used theproducts of the co-pending U. S. Patent applicationSerial No. 31,734, filed July 16, 1935, in the name of Max Paquin, forCondensation ,products and a process of preparing them, ob-

tainable by condensing urea or the derivatives thereof with suchhydroxy-alkylamines-as are obtainable by the action of an alkyleneoxideon an organic compound having at least two aminogroups. As in theabove-mentioned process of U. S. Patent No. 1,990,852 there may beobtained very brilliant and intense prints with vat-dye-. stuffs onanimal fibers when working according to the process of this invention.Moreover, these I ethylenediamines.

Germany February 11,

(Cl. 8-5) prints surpass those obtained by known processes,

for instance, as to the strength and evenness of. the prints, the feel,the elasticity and the weave of the fabric. The natural softness of thefiber is by no means impaired and shrinking of the threads ispractically avoided.

The invention is pplicable to wool and mixtures of wool witother animalor vegetable fibers (for, instance, half-wool or wool mixed withartificial fibers such as spun'rayon, acetate artificial silk andthelike) as well as to silk and mixtures thereof and to vegetable naturaland artificial fibers. The printing colors may be used in directprinting processes as well as in the form of a discharge paste onpre-dyed material; furthermore for padding for which purpose lessthickening agent is added in order to obtain a lower viscosity. They maybe used either in an unreduced or reduced state. There may also beaforesaid compounds; they may then be usedfor incorporation in printingpreparations.

' The above-mentioned amine-bases of the aliphatic series having atleast 2 nitrogen atoms are obtainable in the following manner:

,Polyethylenediamines are amines of the general formula: NH2.(CI-IaCH'aNH) n.CH2.CH2.NH2, wherein n represents an unknown highernumber. These substances are formed as by-products in the preparation ofethylenediamine, described in Beilstein Handbuch der organischen Chemie,4th edit., vol. 4, page 230.- The known process yields a product fromwhich there is obtainable at first e thylene-diamine by fractionaldistillation and then at a higher temperature, for instance, at about220 C. to about 290 C., the polygroup is exchanged-by theCH2.CH2.OH-group.

Hydroxyethyl hexamethylenetetramine is ob- -.tainable by introduction ofethyleneoxide into molten hexamethylenetetramine.

Triethylenetetramine' is described in the literature, cf., for instance,Beilstein, Handbuch der organischen Chemie, 4th edit, vol 4, page 255,below; I e

The following examples serve to illustrate the thereto,

f invention, but they are not intended. to limit it 1. A printing pasteis prepared from:

After printing and drying, the material is steamed in a Mother-Flattapparatus free from air, reoxidized in known manner, rinsed and ifdesired after-treated with a. solution containing a wetting agent.

2. A printing paste is prepared from:

Grams Dyestufi No. 1349 (Schultz, Farbstofftabellen, 7th edit., Vol I)200 Glycerine Water 40 Thickening 400 I-Lydroxyethyl-polyethylenediamine150 Glucose- Sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate 30 The fibers which havebeen treated with this printing color are after-treated as described inExample 1.

3. A printing paste is prepared from:

- Grams Dyestufi No. 1269 (Schultz, Farbstofitabellen, 7th edit. Vol. I)100 Glycerine 80 Water 100 Thickening 450 'Iriethylenetetramine orhydroxyethylhexamethylenetetramine 200 Sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate'70 The fibers are after-treated as described in Example 1.

4. A printing paste is prepared from:

Grams Dyestufi No. 1314 (Schultz, Farbstofftabellen, 7th edit., Vol. I)Glycerine 80 Wateri 100 Thickening 450 Condensation product ofhydroxyethylpoly- ,ethylenediamine with urea 150 Sodium formaldehydesulfoxylate '70 The fibers are after-treated as described in Example 1.

In the preceding examples there may be used as thickening, for instance,British gum or gum thickening.

I claim:

1. In the process of printing a vat-dyestufl printing on animal fibersand textiles containing animal fibers the step which consists in usingas alkaline substance necessary for the printing process anamino-compound of the group consisting of ethylene'diamine,polyethylenediamines, hydroxy ethyl polyethylelediamines,triethylenetetramine, hydroxy-ethylhexamethylenetetramine and theurea-condensation products of hydroxyalkylamino-compounds obtained bythe action of an alkyleneoxide on an organic compound containing atleast two amino-groups.

2. In the process of printing a vat-dyestuflf printing on animal fibersand textiles containing animal fibers the step which consists in usingas alkaline substance necessary for the printing processethylenediamine.

3. In the process of printing a vat-dyestufi printing on animal fibersand textiles containing animal fibers the step which consists in usingas alkaline substance necessary for the printing processhydroxy-ethyl-polyethylenediamine.

4. In the process of printing a vat-dyesuif printing on animal fibersand textiles containing animal fibers the step which consists in usingas alkaline substance necessary for the printing and, as alkalinesubstance necessary for the printing process, ethylenediamine.

'7. Compositions of matter containing a vatdyestufi", a thickeningagent, a reducing agent and, as alkaline substance necessary for theprinting process, hydroxy-ethylpolyethylenediamine.

8. Compositions of matter containing a vatdyestuff,- a thickening agent,a reducing agent and, as alkaline substance necessary for the printingprocess, triethylenetetramine.

. MAX KERTH.

